luni, 28 octombrie 2019

Code Week

During code week we created bookmarks with traditional Romanian motifs...



joi, 19 septembrie 2019

THE LIBRARYS








A story


THE OLD MAN’ S DAUGHTER AND THE OLD WOMAN’S DAUGHTER

                                                   
                                                                                Romanian tale by Ion Creanga


           Once upon a time there was an old man and an old woman who lived in a house. Each of them had a daughter. The old man’s daughter was friendly, hard working and kind, while the old woman’s daughter was lazy, proud and unfriendly. One day, the  old woman ordered the old man’s daughter to leave the house. So the good girl left.On her way, she met a dog that was sick and full of fleas. The dog said to her “Please help me, and I will be of useful to you someday”. The girl nursed the dog, then went on her way.

           Later, she met a fountain that was broken and dry. The fountain said to her “Please help me and I will be of useful to you someday”. The girl fixed the fountain and continued her journey.
Soon, she met an oven of clay, broken and dry. “Please help me, said the oven, and I will be useful to you someday”. She fixed the oven, mended its cracks then continued her way. Then, she met a pear tree that was full of caterpillars and had many dry branches. “Please help me, said the tree, and I will be useful to you someday” The girl cleaned the tree and went on.


 She arrived at the house of Saint Sunday, who was a very wise old woman.“Welcome, girl, said Saint Sunday. I must go away, but while I’m gone, please wash my babies and feed them. And keep some food warm for me, when I come back”. Saint Sunday went away. The girl called the babies from the forest, but the babies were strange animals, some bigger, some smaller. She was not afraid of the strange animals, she washed them and fed them. When Saint Sunday returned, she found good food waiting for her. “Girl, you have done a good job here, she said. Now go upstairs in the attic. There are many boxes, some old, some new and shiny. Choose a box as a reward for your work, whichever you think is right for you”. The girl went to the attic and saw many boxes. She was not greedy, so she chose the smallest box, made of wood. Then she said good bye to Saint Sunday and started to go back home.



On her way, she arrived at the tree. The tree was full of big, yellow, juicy pears. The tree bowed down and let her pick some pears. Then, the girl met the oven. The oven was full of fresh cookies. She ate some cookies, then went on. She met the fountain, that was full of clear water and had two silver glasses on the edge. She drank some water and took the glasses with her. Then she met the dog, who had a necklace of gold. “Take the necklace, said the dog, as a thank you for your help.
                                  
She took the necklace, then went on and arrived home. She called her father annd they opened the wooden box. From the little box appeared many cows, horses, chicken, pigs, orchards and crops, that filled the garden. “We are rich now”, said the old man, very happy.
  The old woman and her lazy daughter were very envious. “I’ll go too, said the lazy daughter, I will bring even more riches”. So off she went. She met the dog who asked for her help, but she refused. “Did you have many servants before?” she yelled at the dog and went on. She met the fountain that was broken and dry. The fountain asked her for help, but she replied: “How can I dirty my hands with you?”. She went on and met the oven. The oven asked for help, but she refused in the same way. After that, she met the tree that asked for help too, but she refused again.
And she arrived at the house of Saint Sunday.  Girl, please feed and wash my children while I am away. And keep some food for me too when I return”, said Saint Sunday. The lazy girl called the children and the strange animals appeared. “What sort of creatures are these?” she said very disgusted. And she boiled water to wash them, but she burned them with hot water. Then she burned the food too and let it get cold. When Saint Sunday returned and saw the disaster, she remained calm.
     Girl, go to the attic and choose one box that you think you deserve for your work”, she said. The lazy girl went upstairs and chose the biggest box, golden and shiny. Then she ran off, without saying a word to Saint Sunday.

She arrived at the tree. The tree was full of big, yellow juicy pears, but when she wanted to pick one, the tree became so tall, she could not reach it. She went on and arrived at the oven. The oven was full of warm cookies, but when she wanted to eat, the oven burned her hands. She had to go on hungry. She saw the fountain that was full of clear water and had two silver glasses. She wanted to drink, but the glasses and the water disappeared. She went on thirsty.  She met the dog who had a golden necklace. She wanted to take the necklace, but the dog barked and bit her. She arrived home and called the old woman.
      They opened the shiny big box, but from inside appeared huge monsters that ate them both and then disappeared with the box. The old man and the good daughter remained to live their peaceful lives after that. The good daughter found a good man and got married. And they lived happily ever after.





Preface


            

Preface




             A fairy talewonder talemagic tale is a folk genre that takes the

form of a short story. Such stories typically feature entities such as dragons with three, seven or more heads, fairies, or witches, and usually magic or enchantments. Fairy tales may be distinguished from other folk narratives such as legends (which generally involve belief in the veracity of the events described) and explicit moral tales, including beast fables. The term is mainly used for stories with origins in European tradition and, at least in recent centuries, mostly relates to children's literature.


              Colloquially, the term "fairy tale" or "fairy story" can also mean any

far-fetched story or tall tale; it is used especially of any story that
not only is not true, but could not possibly be true. Legends are
perceived as real; fairy tales may merge into legends, where the narrative is perceived both by teller and hearers as being grounded in historical truth. However, unlike legends and epics, fairy tales usually do not contain more
than superficial references to religion and to actual places, people, and
events; they take place "once upon a time"
rather than in actual times. 

            Fairy tales occur both in oral and in literary form. Many of today's fairy tales have evolved from centuries-old stories that have appeared, with variations, in

particularly difficult to trace because only the literary forms can survive.
multiple cultures around the world. The history of the fairy tale is
Still, according to researchers at universities in Durham and Lisbon, such stories may date back thousands of years, some to the Bronze Age more than 6,500 years
ago. Fairy tales, and works derived from fairy tales, are still written
today.

          Folk creations occupy a particularly important place in universal literature, but it

is not yet known exactly where and when it occurred. The fairy tale is an old folk creation that appeared as an expression of the desires of ordinary

people to escape into a wonderful world where it is possible to fulfill any
part of a memory group that Jung collectively calls unconscious. Characters
dreams and where moral deviations are severely punished. Popular stories are (real or fabulous) are not individualized, they are simple, static;
antisense with negative characters, dominate a basic trait.
protagonists are archetypes of moral and physical perfection, characterized by

         As a literary species, fairy tales have very distant origins and they are lost in

history. Even though the fairytale appeared more than three thousand years ago,
as a folkloric genre, he was born in 1812, with the publication by the Grimm brothers
of the collection of German folk tales, in the volume titled Kinder-und
Hausmärchen.

         Why do we need stories? What does literature really want? It has a noble and delicate mission

equally: it wants to reach the heart of man, it wants and needs to create moods
and emotions. Since we are born till die, we need stories to live nicer, and
why not, make it easy to fall asleep!

          Here are some examples of Romanians fairy tales that have delighted and continue to charm even today the childhood of those who receive them joyfully in their

lives.


 



Praslea the brave and the golden apples


Once upon a time, an emperor had a tree with golden apples. He has never tasted them because every year someone stole them. A lot of brave people, including his older sons tried to catch the thief, but they failed. One day, the youngest son, Praslea, decided to to try himself.
        He was the first one to wound the thief with an arrow and to took a few apples, that were given
to his father. Then, he went with his brothers to catch the thief, following
the blood traces and they reached a ravine which leads to the other realm, only
Praslea had the courage to go down. Once arrived, he saw three palaces of monsters. He beat them and saved three princesses. Knowing that his brothers wanted to get rid of him, he let them believe that he died and then he went out
of the ravine with the help of a bird. Earlier, he saved its baby birds.
       After, he reached the empire. He proved his identity with the help of the young girl. He then

took the place of his father and married the loved girl.

 

Salt in food

Salt in food
                                                      by Petre Ispirescu


Once upon a time, there was a king who had 3 girls. One day he asked them how much they love him. The first one said that she loves him like honey, the second one said she loves him as sugar and the last one said that she loves him like salt in food. When the king heard that he told her to go. She arrived at a housekeeper’s castle. The girl was hard-working and she became the housekeeper’s helper. One day the king and his son went to war. He came back wounded and the housekeeper asked the girl to take care of him. With love, she healed him. He fell in love with her and wanted to marry her, but his parents didn’t agree. In the end, they approved this wedding and they married. At their wedding, the girl’s father was guest. He gave him only sugar and honey in food. The king ate from the food of his invitations and his. The king found that only his food was sweet. The girl recognized her deed and told her to the wedding guests. After her father apologized, the wedding was held with much joy!

The Goat and Her Three Kids

The Goat and Her Three Kids

The Goat and Her Three Kids (Romanian: “Capra cu trei iezi”) is
an 1875 short story, fable and fairy tale by Romanian author Ion Creangă. Figuratively illustrating for the notions of motherly love and childish disobedience, it recounts how a family of goats is ravaged by the Big Bad Wolf, allowed inside the secured home by the oldest, most ill-behaved and
least prudent of the kids. The only one of the children to survive is the youngest and most
obedient, who then helps his mother plan her revenge on the predator, leading to an end in which the wolf is tricked, burned alive and stoned to death.






Neghinita

Neghinita


By Barbu Stefanescu Delavrancea

              There was an old woman who really wanted a baby. One  day when she spoke alone she heard a sharp voice coming from a man the size of a nut. She adopted him. He was sold by his father to a merchant and from there he went to the king's village. One day Neghinita went into the king's ear and struck the king by telling them to kick people out the village and put others in, they exiled him . But the people wanted him as king again.In another day he tried to trick him again, but he went into his good ear, so the king realized who had tricked him. Neghinita died after he was drowned by the king.

 






Bear fooled by the fox

Bear fooled by the fox
                                                              by Ion Creanga


           The story is set in the animal kingdom. After making an illegitimate capture of fish, the fox draws the attention of the bear, who also wants to sample some of the food. But the fox advises him to go fishing and use a method which will leave the bear without his tail. No luck for thear when trying to get his revenge either.

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The Little Purse with two Half-pennies

The Little Purse with two Half-pennies


       
  An old man banished his cock because it didn’t lay.On the road the cock found a little purse with two half-pennies, but a boyer stole it. The cock followed the boyer asking exigently to him the purse, but this refused, trying to get rid of it by all means. So, he asked to the coachman to throw away it in a fontain by where the cock swalloed water and it went out. Reached to manor, the boyer asked that the fowl to be thrown in the oven, but the cock spilled the water from the fontain and it came out. Until he had recovered his purse the cock gone through some attempts, but   however, it escaped through wisdom. The angry old man gave back to it the purse and the cock went home with followers to the ancient.

Becoming rich, he was very proud of his cock. 

Youth everlasting and life without end

Youth everlasting and life without end


         There was once a king and a queen who did not have children. One day, an old man gave them cure for a child, but they were told that they would not be able to enjoy it. When was the time to come born, he began to weep and did not stop until the Emperor promised to give him youth without old age and life without death.
At fifteen, Făt-Frumos urges his father to keep his promise. The Emperor can not keep his word, and the boy looks for a healthy horse, then goes looking for what he wants. On his way he meets Gheonoaia and her sister with whom he fought and defeated them. Finally, the prince he gets to a castle at the end of the earth where he finds youth without old age and life without death. He marries a fairy. She tells him that he could go anywhere he wanted, only not in the Valley of Complaint. One day, to the hunt, he got there without wanting and started to miss his parents very much.

GREUCEANU

GREUCEANU


   Once upon a time there was a king by the name of Red. .This king was very upset because some monsters stole the Sun and the Moon, his kingdom remaining in darkness .he promised his daughter and half of his kingdom to the one that will release the two Stars. Although many tried, none of them succeeded. So a brave and mighty warrior named Greuceanu asks permission to try and get the Sun and the Moon back.

  After receiving permission, Greuceanu begins the journey, taking along his brother. They go a” long, long way together” and arrive at the Blacksmith of the Earth, which was a very good friend of Greuceanu.

  For three days Greuceanu and the Blacksmith of the Earth locked themselves in a room deciding what to do. After the three days, Greuceanu and his brother go along until they arrive at a crossroad, where they split up. Before splitting up they give one each other a scarf and a knife, saying “The one that returns first and sees the knife rusted and the scarf broken shouldn’t wait for the other one to come, because he’s dead.”
  Greuceanu arrives at the house of the monsters. After jumping three times over his head, he turns first into a pigeon, then into a fly, finding out from the monster-ladies where the monsters are.
After finding out that, he leaves for the Green Forest. Greuceanu fights the three monsters and he defeats them with the aid of a raven. He also finds out from the last monster where the Sun and the Moon are hidden, he opens the door with the smallest finger on the hand of the monster and releases the Stars.
   Along with his brother, Greuceanu returns to the lands of king Red. On their way home, the monster-ladies try to kill them by turning one into a tree with poisons fruits and the other one into a chilly and flowery garden. Greuceanu knowing their scams kills them. After that they are followed by the mother of the monster-ladies, turned into a fiery cloud. Running as fast as possible, Greuceanu and his brother arrive at the house of the blacksmith of the earth. There they trick the monster-lady into swallowing the fiery body of Greuceanu, turning after that into a mountain of iron.
  The Blacksmith of the Earth and his helps make Greuceanu an iron carriage with three iron horses .After getting into the carriage with his brother, they leave for the kingdom of king Red. At a crossroad the two of them break up, Greuceanu brother leaving to tell king Red about the arrival of Greuceanu. A limping devil gets out the carriage’s nit and sends Greuceanu to get it. Meanwhile the devil steals our hero’s sword and changes into a big rock.
  A dastardly advisor of the king, that sold his soul to the devil, tells King Red that he is the releaser of the Sun and the Moon and he should get the reward
In the same time Greuceanu arrives at the castle and finds out about the liar advisor, so he tells the king to wait a little while, till he finds out the truth. Greuceanu turns into an iron hammer, breaks the big rock, gets his sword back and returns happily to the kingdom.
  Greuceanu shows the king that his advisor is a liar’s the king sends him away and Greuceanu married the Princess.
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miercuri, 18 septembrie 2019

The Hound of the Baskervilles

The Hound of the Baskervilles
by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Hound of the Baskervilles opens with a mini mystery—Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson speculate on the identity of the owner of a cane that has been left in their office by an unknown visitor. Wowing Watson with his fabulous powers of observation, Holmes predicts the appearance of James Mortimer, owner of the found object and a convenient entrée into the baffling curse of the Baskervilles.Agreeing to take the case, Holmes and Watson quickly discover that Sir Henry Baskerville is being trailed in London by a mysterious bearded stranger, and they speculate as to whether the ghost be friend or foe. Holmes, however, announces that he is too busy in London to accompany Mortimer and Sir Henry to Devonshire to get to the bottom of the case, and he sends Dr. Watson to be his eyes and ears, insisting that he report back regularly.n a dramatic final scene, Holmes and Watson use the younger Baskerville as bait to catch Stapleton red-handed. After a late supper at the Stapletons', Sir Henry heads home across the moors, only to be waylaid by the enormous Stapleton pet. Despite a dense fog, Holmes and Watson are able to subdue the beast, and Stapleton, in his panicked flight from the scene, drowns in a marshland on the moors. Beryl Stapleton, who turns out to be Jack's harried wife and not his sister, is discovered tied up in his house, having refused to participate in his dastardly scheme.Back in London, Holmes ties up the loose ends, announcing that the stolen shoe was used to give the hound Henry's scent, and that mysterious warning note came from Beryl Stapleton, whose philandering husband had denied their marriage so as to seduce and use Laura Lyons. Watson files the case closed.

Three Men in a Boat


Three Men in a Boat
byJerome K. Jerome

     The story begins by introducing George, Harris, Jerome (always referred to as "J."), and Jerome's dog, named Montmorency. The men are spending an evening in J.'s room, smoking and discussing illnesses from which they fancy they suffer. They conclude that they are all suffering from "overwork", and need a holiday. A stay in the country and a sea trip are both considered. The country stay is rejected because Harris claims that it would be dull, the sea-trip after J. describes bad experiences of his brother-in-law and a friend on sea trips. The three eventually decide on a boating holiday up the River Thames, from Kingston upon Thames to Oxford, during which they will camp, notwithstanding more of J.'s anecdotes about previous mishaps with tents and camping stoves.
They set off the following Saturday. George must go to work that day, so J. and Harris make their way to Kingston by train. They cannot find the right train at Waterloo station (the station's confusing layout was a well-known theme of Victorian comedy) so they bribe a train driver to take his train to Kingston, where they collect the hired boat and start the journey. They meet George further up river at Weybridge.

IF

IF
by Rudyard Kipling




If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,                              
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thought your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same:
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings:
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be Man, my son!



Lucky's Will

Lucky's Will
by Helen Gibbs Pohlot

 Nothing will keep Lucky from protecting her beloved Will—not even frigid temperatures and mounting snow.
When Will slumps over in the car, Lucky, his little dog, sets off in search of help. She braves icy conditions and dangerous highways, but help is nowhere around. With no other choice, Lucky returns to the car to watch over her lifelong friend.
Lucky survives against tremendous odds only to face an uncertain future when rescue finally arrives eighteen days later. At 20 years old, Lucky’s future looks bleak until one little boy stands up to fight for her life.
Lucky's Will is an inspiring true story that demonstrates the determination and wisdom of a child and the extraordinary resilience of a loyal little dog.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

by J. K. Rowling


   Harry Potter has been living an ordinary life, constantly abused by his surly and cold aunt and uncle, Vernon and Petunia Dursley and bullied by their spoiled son Dudley since the death of his parents ten years prior. His life changes on the day of his eleventh birthday when he receives a letter of acceptance into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, delivered by a half-giant named Rubeus Hagrid after previous letters had been destroyed by Harry's Uncle Vernon and his Aunt Petunia. Hagrid explains Harry's hidden past as the wizard son of James and Lily Potter, who were a wizard and witch respectively, and how they were murdered by the most evil and powerful dark wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort, which resulted in the one-year-old Harry being sent to live with his aunt and uncle. Voldemort was not only unable to kill Harry, but his powers were also destroyed in the process, forcing him into exile and sparking Harry's immense fame among the magical community.Hagrid introduces Harry to the wizarding world, bringing him to places such as Diagon Alley, a hidden street in London where Harry uncovers a fortune left to him by his parents at Gringotts Wizarding Bank, gets his owl Hedwig, various school supplies, and his wand. There, he is surprised to discover how famous he truly is among witches and wizards. A month later, Harry leaves the Dursleys' home to catch the Hogwarts Express from King's Cross railway station's secret Hogwarts platform, Platform ​3/4. On the train, he quickly befriends fellow first-year Ronald Weasley and the two boys meet Hermione Granger, whose snobbiness and affinity for spells initially causes the two boys to dislike her. There, Harry also makes an enemy of yet another first-year, Draco Malfoy, who shows prejudice against Ron for his family's financial difficulties.
  34On the train, he quickly befriends fellow first-year Ronald Weasley and the two boys meet Hermione Granger, whose snobbiness and affinity for spells initially causes the two boys to dislike her. There, Harry also makes an enemy of yet another first-year, Draco Malfoy, who shows prejudice against Ron for his family's financial difficulties